“CPSC is moving expeditiously to investigate this incident,” CPSC chairman Elliott F. Kaye said in an email to TechnoBuffalo. “Thankfully, reports indicate that all of the passengers were able to make it off the plane without harm. Agency staff has already reached out to the FAA and Samsung to gather the facts about the incident. Agency staff will also reach out to the consumer who experienced a serious incident with his phone. I want to reiterate my call for consumers who have the recalled Galaxy Note 7 to keep their smartphones powered down and to immediately take advantage of the remedies being offered by Samsung. Consumers should know that one of the remedies is a refund.”

TechnoBuffalo asked the CPSC if it is still considered safe to use the replacement Galaxy Note 7 device, following a confirmation from The Verge that the device in question aboard the Southwest Airlines flight was supposed to be a safe model. We are still awaiting a response from the CPSC on that query.

Earlier today, Samsung offered this response: “Until we are able to retrieve the device, we cannot confirm that this incident involves the new Note 7. We are working with the authorities and Southwest now to recover the device and confirm the cause. Once we have examined the device we will have more information to share.”